


Silence

by Erik_Addictedtometal_Lehnsherr



Category: Marvel 616, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel Ultimates
Genre: Gen Prompt Bingo, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-18
Updated: 2018-06-18
Packaged: 2019-05-24 22:26:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14963357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Erik_Addictedtometal_Lehnsherr/pseuds/Erik_Addictedtometal_Lehnsherr
Summary: Written to fill my Stony -- Silence bingo spot. Set in a universe based loosely on Earth-2149 -- Marvel Zombies!





	Silence

They were never given a moment of peace. There was no letting your guard down in the world they lived in now. Steve missed when silence meant they were cherishing the moment. Not where they had to be quiet for survival.

 

It was almost funny to him. How the world began ending. They’d overcome so much: aliens, psychotic robots, twisted Gods… only to be brought down by damn _zombies_. All those movies he’d been forced to endure when it was Clint’s night to choose the film the teach watched. He never thought that’d be possible -- but, he never thought he’d be living in the 21st century, either, so clearly Steve’s possible-radar was off by a mile.

 

 _Clatter_.

 

Steve snapped his eyes away from the cracked door he’d been watching to see Tony messing about with something in a corner. He quickly dived to press the plate down to the ground so it wouldn’t shake and continue making noise, his heart-rate increasing by at least a mile. He let out a few deep breaths, listening closely to what was around them.

 

Nothing.

 

All was silent.

 

He slowly pushed himself off the floor and his hands went to Tony’s back to calm the man. They’d just outran a hoard and lost all of the supplies they had collected for the group. He understood being upset, but he’d never seen Tony _like this_. The man was visibly shaking.

 

 **“Tony, it’s okay. But, we -- we need to get going,”** he whispered to the engineer.

 

Before Tony could respond, a loud groan came from behind the door, followed by two, followed by scraping across the ground. They were _inside_. Steve quickly went and pressed the door closed, moving the desk in front of him, the legs scraping against the floor and surely catching the zombies attention. After he was sure it’d hold and give them a couple of minutes, he turned towards Tony, who let out a noise Steve had never heard before. A whimper. It made Steve’s chest unbearably tight.

 

 **“Let’s go,”** he declared as he moved back to the man, guiding him with a hand to Tony’s lower back. Just as they moved into the back of the storage room, the desk legs began scraping again and the groans became loud and clear. Steve jumped into action, eyes darting around the room until he caught sight of a window near the ceiling. **“Tony, we can reach that, come on,”** he ordered before jumping into action.

 

From pushing over a shelf to stacking various boxes he reckoned could support their weight, Steve worked on the makeshift ladder for a few minutes before he took note that Tony… Tony wasn’t doing anything. Just standing there, staring at one of the zombies that was halfway inside the cracked door.

 

 **“Tony, I need you to focus!”** he ordered as he walked over to the man, taking hold of him by the sides. **“Tony, I need you to help me, we -- we…”** Steve trailed off as he stepped back to stare at his wet, bloodied hand. Suddenly, all was quiet from the blood rushing to Steve’s ears. His vision might as well had blurred out around Tony as he stared at the man straightening out his shirt, trying to hide the rip on the side. Trying to deny what they both knew.

 

**“You were bit.”**

 

The words seemed to have Tony freezing in the moment. They both stood there for what was definitely a life-risking amount of time. Steve’s eyes boring into the engineer’s cheek while Tony refused to meet his eyes and found the floor suddenly so interesting.

 

 **“Let me see,”** Steve ordered as he made a reach for Tony.

 **“No!”** Tony finally snapped, stepping out of reach.

**“Tony…”**

**“No. Shut up,”** Tony ordered him. His shaky hands clutching the side of his shirt. “Just shut up, Rogers.”

Steve wet his lips. **“We can--”**

 **“What, Rogers? We can _what_** **?”** Tony asked as he finally met his eyes, brown eyes brimmed with tears. **“Find a cure? Wish it better?”** he asked, laughing as the tears started falling.

 

They stood for another few creaks of the desk keeping them somewhat focused on the reality around them. Steve’s nails dug into his palm painfully, blood dripping down his fingers.

 

**“You need to go.”**

**“No.”** **  
** **“Damn it, Steve,”** Tony breathed out as he crossed the room to shove at what might as well had been a statue of muscle.

**“You can come with me --”**

**“For what, Steve? It takes an hour to turn. I was bit ten minutes ago and I can already _feel_ it, Steve. I can --”**

**“Stop.”**

**“ _Steve_** **,”** Tony hissed exasperatedly.

**“You’re coming. That’s it. You’re coming with me. Bruce can figure something out.”**

 

Steve turned before Tony could answer and continued to scramble for more sturdy boxes.

 

**“I love you.”**

**“Damn it, Tony!”** Steve shouted, throwing one of the boxes against the wall, followed by his fist, a knuckle or two cracking, but Steve _didn’t care anymore_.

**“I just wanted you to know --”**

**“I know, Tony. _I know_** **,”** Steve cut him off, not even sure the man could hear him as three zombies fell to the ground on top of each other, wiggling their way in. **“Just… we’ll figure it out. Just… go. Climb the boxes, we have to** **_go_ ** **,”** Steve stressed in a shaky tone, reaching out for the man.

 

Tony relented and moved past Steve to climb up the boxes, pulling the window at the top up so he could worm his way out. Steve followed behind, kicking the boxes down when his body was out. He pulled his feet through and closed the window shut, staring into the now infested room for a few moments before he finally turned to sit with his back against the the building.

 

Everything was quiet again. There wasn’t a zombie in sight where they sat on top of the attached shed. Yet, Steve had never felt so unsafe. He didn’t take his eyes off the sun setting, even when Tony moved to sit next to him, pressing into his side. His arm wrapped around the smaller man and he clutched him close, unwilling to let him go.

 

**“I can’t go back.”**

**“Then we won’t,”** Steve said simply. **“We’ll sit right here,”** he promised.

 

Neither said much after that. With not a damn zombie insight, they could have spoke. But, words were making Steve feel choked up and… he reckoned talking with the last thing Tony wanted to do right now. That was almost funny, too. Tony almost never shut up. Even when this whole thing had first started, he just _had_ to talk. It’d gotten them in trouble a lot. All the times he’d told Tony to shut up, now, all he found himself wanting was to hear the man _never_ stop talking. He could talk about Hitler in a tu-tu and Steve would _cherish_ it.

 

All he got was silence.

 

Tony stopped breathing when the sun set.

 

Night claimed the streets and Steve had never felt more cold. He shifted Tony’s body in his arms, securing him tightly just in time to feel the first twitch of reanimation. His fingers dug into the man’s -- _thing’s_ arms. His lips brushed against the mop of raven hair and _finally_ , Steve let himself cry. He held the thrashing body against him in a suffocating, rib breaking manner, knowing as soon as he let go, that it wouldn’t be Tony coming at him. It’d be some _thing_ with Tony’s face.

  
**“I love you, Tony,”** he whispered against his head. _Praying,_ that some part of Tony was still in there and could hear him. He reached to pull his knife out of its sheath, moving to press the blade against Tony’s temple, not yet pushing into the skin. He took a few more moments to take in what scent of Tony was left on the man. **“I love you,”** he whispered one last time and pushed the blade in.


End file.
